Closure and carrying means for box-like containers



Jan. 26, 1960 w. w. WRIGHT 2,922,566 CLOSURE AND- CARRYING MEANS FOR BOX-LIKE CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 2, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mum ram Ilia/1AM! 1 104,

Jan. 26, 1960 w. w. WRIGHT 2,922,566

CLOSURE AND CARRYING MEANS FOR BOX-LIKE CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 2, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent CLOSURE AND CARRYING MEANS FOR BDX-LIKE CONTAINERS William W. Wright, Collinsville, Ill. Application August 2, 1957, Serial No. 676,469

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-46) This invention relates generally to improvements in portable containers and more particularly to closure and carrying means therefor.

Various closure and carrying means have heretofore been provided for containers such as shoe boxes. These known means have been complicated to construct and install and for the most part have been devised to satisfy a specific packaging application, and therefore, have not been versatile enough or cheap enough to find universal application in the packaging of goods. Furthermore, the known devices have not been satisfactory to hold the lid on a container and at the same time to provide means for carrying and shipping the container in the closed condit1on.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide simple and inexpensive means for holding the closure or lid on containers while they are being carried or shipped.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for holding containers closed when being carried or shipped, which means do not interfere with the packaging of goods in the containers or with packaging or storing of the containers themselves.

Another object of the invention is to utilize the weight of containers including the weight of the goods therein to hold the containers closed when being carried.

Another object of the invention is to provide closure and carrying means for containers such as shoe boxes and the like which do not interfere with the normal packaging, handling, and displaying of articles therein.

Another object of the invention is to prevent the accidental opening of a container when being carried or shipped.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the packaging and wrapping expenses, including the space required therefor, in selling goods.

Still another object of the invention is to increase to a maximum the space available on boxes and the like for advertising and decoration without losing any of the effectiveness thereof by requiring additional wrapping.

Briefly, the present invention comprises the addition to a container such as a shoe box or the like of a piece of cord which is threaded through eyelets in the side walls and one end wall of the box and extends around the periphery thereof, the cord on each box being movable to a position passing over the lid on the box when the box is closed to hold the lid down and to provide means for carrying the box or for shipping the box.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after considering the following detailed specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an open shoe box or the like incorporating the teachings of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the box with its lid on,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the shoe box of Figs. 1

Patented Jan. 26, 1960 and 2, illustrating the closure and carrying means being moved into position for carrying and closing the box,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the same box in condition for being carried,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the box shown in Fig. 1 taken along the line 55 therein,

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the box shown in Fig. 4 and taken along the line 6-6 therein,

Fig. 7 shows a modified form of the box of Fig. 1,

Fig. 8 shows a bottom view of a box such as the box shown in Figs. 1 through 4 and includes provision thereon for securing the box lid in the closed condition for shipment,

Fig. 9 is a bottom view similar to Fig. 8, but showing a modified form of the securing means shown therein,

Fig. 10 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modified form of the invention,

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the modified box of Fig. 10 with its lid on,

Fig. 12 is another perspective view of the modified shoe box of Figs. 10 and 11, illustrating the closure and carrying means being moved into position for carrying and closing the box,

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the same modified box in condition for being carried,

Fig. 14 is a horizontal crossasectional view of the modified box construction of Fig. 10 taken along the line 14- 14 therein,

Fig. 15 is a view of the cord per se which is used in the modified box construction of Figs. 10-14, and

Fig. 16 is a horizontal cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 14 showing a modified form for the cord.

Referring to the drawing by reference numbers, number 20 (Figs. 1-6) refers to a container such as a shoe box constructed according to the teachings of the present invention. The box is shown having side walls 22, end walls 24, and a bottom 26. The box 20 also has a lid 28 (Figs. 2, 3, and 4) including a top panel 30, side flanges 32, and end flanges 34.

The opposite side walls 22 of the box 20 are provided with openings or eyelets36 in which grommets may be used, and the openings are located near the upper edges thereof about midway longitudinally of the box; and one of the end walls 24 is provided with two openings or eyelets 38 in which grommets also may be used, and the openings 38 are positioned at the same height on the end wall 24 as the eyelets 36 and are located adjacent to the edges thereof.

A flexible cord 40, in the form of a closed loop having a length which is approximately equal to the perimeter of the box, is threaded through the eyelets 36 and 38 and around the box 20 as shown in Fig. 1. One portion of the cord 40 extends outwardly from the eyelets 36 and around the far end of the box 20 (Fig. 1), and the other portion of the cord 40 extends inwardly from the eyelets 36 then outwardly through the eyelets 38 and across the end wall 24 therebetween.

When the lid 28 is on the box 20 (Fig. 2), the lower edge of flanges 32 and 34 thereof preferably conceals the cord 40 making the box look like any ordinary box and enabling groups of the boxes to be packaged and stored without any protruding parts. The eyelets 36 and 38 could also be positioned below the flanges 32 and 34 on the container 20 if desired without departing from the spirit of the invention. The condition of the cord 49 shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 is the inoperative condition thereof and is employed when shipping empty boxes, when storing or displaying goods in the boxes, and when packaging groups of the boxes for shipment or later use.

Since the cord 40 has approximately the same length as the perimeter of the box, it will remain in the inoperative condition by itself or until it is manually moved to some other position. If the box is subjected to frequent or rough handling, it may be desirable to aflix a gummed sticker, such as the sticker 42 shown in dotted outline in Fig. 7, to hold the endportion of the cord 40 in the inoperative condition. g

in general, however, the cover or lid 28 can be placed on the box 20 to hide the cord 40/, and the cord '40 does not project or-otherwise interfere with the normal use of the box.

In Fig. 3, the portion of the cord which extended around the end wall 24 has been moved upwardly therefrom to form a loop over thetop of the box 20- and the lid 28 has been moved under this loop and into place on the box. When the lid 28 is in place, the portion of the cord 40 that extends between the eyelets 38 is drawn outwardly to form a handle for carrying the box (Fig. 4). When the box 2% is carried by the cord handle, the opposite end portion of the cord 40, which now extends over the lid 28, pulls the lid 28 closed and prevents it from accidentally coming loose and spilling =thegoods out of the box. Both the weight of the box and the weight of the goods contribute to keeping the lid 28 closed when the box is being carried. Furthermore, if the eyelets 35 and 38 are adjacent to or below the flanges 32.and 34 on the box 20 the cord 40 can fully seat the lid v28 and eliminate any looseness thereof.

A modified form 44 of the present device is shown in Fig. 7. in the modification 44, external cord guides or eyelets are formed by staples 46 and 4-3 and are employed instead of the eyelets 36 and 3d, and a cord 50 is threaded through the staples 46 and 48 andextends completely around the outside of the box. The .modified box 44 operates in the same way as box 26) and may have an advantage by being less expensive to con struct. In the modified box 44, the staples 46 and 48 are shown loosely mounted to permit the cordStl to slide through them, however, it is anticipated that different shaped staples could be used instead of those shown, for example, a staple with an outwardly projecting beaded portion could be used without department from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Figs. 8 and 9 show two forms of an additional feature which can be added to the boxes 20 and 4,4 to enable them to be shipped without requiring additional wrapping and with the lid held down and prevented from accidentally coming loose. In Fig. 8, a tab 52 is formed in the bottom wall 26 of the box 20 at a suitable location and when the cord 40 is pulled out, as for a handle (Fig. 4), the handle portion thereof is positioned around the tab 52. The tab 52 then forms an anchor for the cord 40 which prevents the lid 28 from coming loose.

in Fig. 9, adhesive tape 54 is used to attach the cord 40 to the bottom wall 26 instead of the tab 52. Adhesive tape has the advantage that it can be attached when the cord 40 is taut while the tab 52 may leave a little slack in the cord unless the cord is constructed of elastic materials.

If the present device is employed as a shoe box, the box is handled in the following manner. After the box has been constructed (with the cord 40 or 50 in the inoperative position), it is wrapped or packaged with other similar boxes and shipped to a shoe manufacturer or directly to a wholesale or retail outlet. The usual methods for shipping and wrapping the boxes can be employed because there are no projecting portions and the boxes, when closed, appear to be the same as any ordinary shoe boxes. The boxes are not going to require any additional individual wrapping because of the cord feature, and therefore, the manufacturer can design and decorate the boxes on all sides, including the bottoms, to suit the customer. Thus, the present construction not only provides convenient means for carrying the boxes and .for keeping them closed, but it also eliminates the final steps of wrapping the boxes for the customers and saves materials and space in the stores heretofore required for the wrapping materials and for doing the actual wrapping.

At the shoe manufacturer, or at the wholesale or retail levels, the boxes are filled with shoes and stored until sold or otherwise disposed of. While being stored, the cord 40 is in the inoperative condition making it convenient to open and close the boxes and to display the shoes in the boxes; but as soon as a sale is made, the shoes are placed in the box and the cord 49 is drawn out as a handle for the customer or is fastened to the bottom wall 26 to hold the lid down while the purchase is delivered. In either case, the shoes or other goods are prevented from accidentally falling out of the box.

In Figs. 10-l4 is shown a modified form of the box 20 shown in Figs. 145. The modified box 120 has side walls 122, end walls 124, a bottom wall 126, and a lid 128. The side walls 122 are provided with openings or eyelets 136 and one of the end walls is provided with two spaced openings or eyelets 138.

A length of cord with stop members 141 at both ends (Fig. 15) is threaded through the eyelets 136 and 138 in the body portion of the modified box 120 as shown in Figs. 10, 12, and 14. The cord 140 is not formed into a closed loop as is cord 40 (Figs. 1-6) because the stop members 141 which are attached to the ends prevent the cord from accidentally pulling through the holes 136 and 138 and coming loose from the box 120. The stops 141 are, however, of small enough sectional dimension to pass through the eyelets136 and 138 when threading the cord 140 on the box 120. The modified box 120 has the advantage that the cord 140 can be threaded through the eyelets (and removed therefrom) without having to fasten the ends of the cord 140 together as in the box construction shown in Figs. 1-6.

The stop members 141 are shown constructed of tubular portions 1410 which are pinched or clamped onto the ends of the cord 140 and endwardly projecting channel shaped portions 141b which extend part way along the cord 140 toward its opposite end. This construction for the stop members 141 enables them to be intentionally and easily threaded through the eyelets 136 and 138 in both directions but causes them to assume right angle positions relative to the eyelets 136 and 138 when not properly guided and thereby prevents the cord 140 from accidentally coming loose.

When threading the cord 140 on the container or box 120 one of the stop members 141 is threaded through a side eyelet 136 in the box 120, and the outside cord portion thereof is passed over the top of the box and inward ly through the opposite side eyelet 136, then through the nearest end eyelet 138, and across the outside of the end wall 124 and through the other end eyelet opening 138 into the box. Preferably, the cord 14%) is constructed to have a length such that it will extend around the periphery of the 'box to the extent clearly shown in Fig. 14. Such a cord length enables the cord 140 by itself to remain in position on the box under the box lid (Fig. ll) when the box is not being used and yet provides plenty of slack for a handle to carry the box when the external portion of the cord 140 extending between the end eyelets 138 is pulled out and the portion between the opposite side eyelets 136 is passed over and drawn down to hold the lid 128 on the box 120.

The lid 128 on the modified box 121 has been modified to provide notches in the downwardly extending side flanges 132 thereof to expose the side eyelets 136 and enable the cord 140 (even though concealed behind the flanges 132 when the box 120 is closed and not in use) to hold the lid 128 securely down on the body portion of the box when the cord 140 is serving as a handle therefor. Two notches 162 are also provided in the end flange 134 of the lid to expose the end eyelets 138 in like manner and for the same purpose.

Fig. 16 shows another form 240 of the cord 140 in which the ends 241 thereof are knotted instead of being provided with stop members such as the members .141.

The modified box constructions shown in Figs. 10-16 operate in substantially the same way as the box 20 shown and described in connection with Figs. 1-9. The principal difference between the constructions is that the modified constructions employ cords which can be manually threaded on the box and which the box manufacturer can furnish to the box user as a separate detached item or as an installed part of the box. If supplied as a separate detached item, the box manufacturer can simply drop a cord in each box and leave the threading operation up to the sales person. By the same token, the loose cord construction may reduce the cost of manufacturing the present carryout box construction and may be more susceptible of mass production techniques.

Obviously, other types and shapes of the box, the cord and the stop members could be used Without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided a novel container construction including carrying and closure means therefor which fulfills all of the objects and advantages sought therefor. It is to be understood, however, that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing have been presented only by way of illustration and example and that changes and alterations in the present disclosure which will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.

What I claim is:

1. A container for storage and carrying of merchandise including a closed bottom body having pairs of opposed side walls connected thereto to form an open top body, a cover for said open top body, said body having an eyelet in each of one of said pairs of opposed side walls, said eyelets being in opposed relation and disposed in said one pair of side walls substantially centrally between said other pair of said opposed side Walls, and said body having other eyelets spaced from each other and also spaced in one direction on the body from said opposed eyelets, and a flexible member freely slidably positioned in said body eyelets, said member having a first portion normally extending between said opposed pair of eyelets in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom wall and about substantially one half of the exterior of said body, a second portion extending between said spaced other eyelets at the-exterior of said body in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom wall, and a third portion interconnecting said first and second portions and retaining the later portions snugly adjacent said side walls, said first portion of said flexible member being movable to a position extending over the lid on the container between said opposed pair of eyelets, and said second portion being freely slidably movable outwardly from said spaced other eyelets to simultaneously form a handle for carrying the container and exert force in the first portion to hold the lid in position on the body.

2. The container for storage and carrying of merchandise defined in claim 1 wherein means are provided for securing said second portion of said flexible member to the body when in a handle forming condition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 12,941 Lehmann Apr. 13, 1909 Re. 16,509 Buckholder Dec. 28, 1926 1,154,457 Taylor Sept. 21, 1915 1,771,766 Berney ct a1. July 29, 1930 2,260,951 Mulnix Oct. 28, 1941 2,772,045 Pace Nov. 27, 1956 

